


By Your Side

by cga1993



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone, Beth Lives, Domestic, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Marriage, bethyl
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 02:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9153700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cga1993/pseuds/cga1993
Summary: Daryl Dixon isn't the marryin' type, but Beth Greene might be the girl to change his mind.





	1. A New Kind Of Love

Daryl Dixon’s not the marryin’ kind. Never will be.

In his previous life, if you could call driftin’ from town to town with Merle a life, Daryl dismissed the thought altogether. No broad would tie him down. No person could ever tear down his walls.

When the dead began to rise, Daryl all but forgot the word “marriage”. This was a new world after all and it was not one that could allow such luxury, such security.

Survival was always Daryl’s priority, and he was good at it. Never show your emotions, never let anyone inside, never trust and no one can hurt you. That was Daryl’s motto, his creed. Most people changed when the world ended, but not Daryl. He held tight to everything he was before.

Then there was her.

Beth changed it all.

It first occurred to Daryl that he could be a domesticated man when they were holed up in that funeral home. Watching Beth at that piano, he could actually imagine them living there for the rest of their days. He wanted it. He dreamed of it that night, but his dreams were shattered when the walkers overran the house.

And then she was gone.

Daryl’s number one priority was survival, until the moment she was gone. Spending the night lying in the road was probably the stupidest thing he’d done in his miserable life, but he finally understood what it meant to need someone. Without her he was broken.

Finding her alive at Grady was the most hopeful Daryl had felt in his entire life. But just as quickly as the light returned to his life, she was gone again.

If Daryl felt broken before, the only way to describe him in the months that followed would be “broken”.

Without her nothing mattered. He couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t eat, all he felt was overwhelming guilt and despair. He no longer saw a point in going on.

Aaron and Eric pulled him out of his depression, or at least pulled him far enough away from thoughts of ending it all. They took him in, looked after him, gave him something to do. It helped being around people who didn’t know her. Being around his family, his new apocalypse family, only amplified his grief. They had basked in the light of her life as well, but the most frustrating part was that no one seemed to miss her as much as Daryl.

When he saw her walk through the gates of Alexandria he thought he was hallucinating. She was radiant, illuminated by the hot rays of the summer sun. Bloody, bruised, and scarred she was still the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He ran to her, lifted her in his arms bridal-style the same as he had done months before to what he thought was her lifeless body. This time she threw her arms around his neck and whispered his name, too weak to say anything else, but indeed alive.

In the next few months Daryl learned what it meant to be needed. Beth never had to ask, but he was always there when she needed. He helped her walk until her legs were strong again. He closed the blinds and gave her cold compresses when the headaches came. He helped her adjust to life in the Safe Zone. Most importantly though, he was there to hold her when the nightmares came.

There was a time when Daryl may have cared about what people would think of him and Beth. He was aware that in the old world their age difference would have caused a scandal and to some it still might. He no longer cared once she arrived to the Safe Zone. He had already lost her twice, nothing would stop him from being with her.

What shocked Daryl was that she wanted him too.

She first kissed him in her bed at the infirmary. They talked well past midnight each night, telling each other things they had never told another living soul. Daryl couldn’t remember what he had said when she took his hand and pulled him close, their lips colliding. It was sweet at first, both of them unsure of how the other felt, but it quickly turned passionate. They had lost each other too many times to hold back now.

She spent less than a week living with Maggie and Glenn before moving in with Daryl. He was working on his bike late one night when she showed up in the light of Aaron and Eric’s garage and declared that she couldn’t stand to live with her sister for another minute.

Daryl’s room was nothing but a place to lay his head until Beth moved in. Now it looked like an actual home. Her guitar, keyboard, and notebooks took up one corner of the room while Daryl’s bow took up the other. Just like at the prison, Beth had a wall covered in drawings the children had made for her. On her nightstand was a framed picture of her and Daryl. Their dresser was lined with trinkets he brought back for her from supply runs.

Despite how domesticated they looked, Daryl still bristled when people called Beth his wife. Something about the word didn’t feel right, even though he fully intended to spend the rest of his life with her. “Husband” and “wife” sounded like they belonged in the old world. Yet so did “girlfriend”.

With the normalcy of Alexandria, Daryl felt the pressure to marry Beth and live a life close to what would have been normal in the old days. A girl like Beth probably expected to get married too. She was the kind of girl who dreamed about a wedding since she was small.

Glenn and Maggie often asked when it would happen. Rick, Michonne, and Carol too. Aaron and Eric had teased him relentlessly until they realized just how much it bothered him. Father Gabriel mentioned it on the rare occasion that Daryl accompanied Beth to church, citing that a wedding would give the citizens of Alexandria something to celebrate.

Daryl scoffed at that idea. He had done more celebrating since Beth returned to him than he had done in his whole life previous. He celebrated that his family had found safety and security behind these walls in their Sunday dinners and in their get-togethers that raged long into the night. He celebrated Beth’s return by worshipping every inch of her body, every breath she took. He had never been so happy and he didn’t need the preacher to say a bunch of words just to prove it.

The subject still weighed heavy on him though. It may be something Beth wanted. If she wanted it, he would be sure to give it to her, but he needed to come to terms with it and put his whole heart into it first.

They were laying amid a field of tall grass, much like the one they collapsed in when they fled the prison years ago, when he finally decided to ask. Looking at her resting her head on his bare chest, catching her breath after they made love, he decided he was ready to marry her.

“Beth,” he said.

“Mmm?” she sighed, opening her eyes to meet his.

“Do you wanna get married?” Daryl asked.

“Are you asking?” Beth asked, her voice a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

“Guess so.” Daryl said. “I can get you a ring and ask for real. I just wanna know if you want to.”

“Do you?” Beth asked.

Daryl shrugged. “If you want to, I will. I’ll give you anything you want, Beth, you know that.”

Beth smiled and kissed Daryl’s bare chest. “We don’t need to get married, Daryl.”

“You sure?”

Beth nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. You’re more than just my husband Daryl. We don’t need some ceremony to tell us what we mean to each other.”

What they mean to each other. Daryl is still unsure of what he means to her. She’s his world, his everything, he knows that for sure, but they don’t talk about what they mean to each other because that would mean bringing up the time they spent apart, their darkest days.

“We don’t need to get married for me to know I need you, Daryl.” Beth elaborated. “After Grady I fought to survive, to get here. I did things I never thought I could do for myself. But without you, I might as well have been one of the walkers.”

 He holds her closer at the thought of losing her. He reminds himself that she is here. She is alive. She is safe. He keeps her safe now.

He thinks of all the married couples they know in Alexandria, even the ones who aren’t officially married, but still play the part. They’re happy, he knows that. Life was too dangerous and short now to waste any time in something miserable. There’s something different though, but he can’t seem to figure it out.

He wants the things that come with marriage; a home with Beth, children, growing old together. He can have that without a wedding though, without calling her his wife.

Because in reality she is so much more. Marriage is a term from the old world. Those who still use it are those who can’t let go. Daryl has nothing to hold onto from the old world, from before. This new world, as cruel and dangerous as it may be, gave him a family, gave him Beth.

Since the old world ended and the new one began Beth has become a whole new person. She was a child when it ended, but she learned and adapted quickly. Daryl admires her strength. He is forever amazed at the warrior that grew from the frail teenage girl.

When the world ended Daryl taught Beth how to be strong and in return she taught him how to love. Their love is nothing like love in the old world. Their love leads them to each other time after time like a map of the new world. Knowing each other, loving each other, and having faith is what keeps them alive in a world where the odds are against them. This kind of love was rare, if not impossible before the world ended. This isn’t the kind of love that can be sealed in marriage with bouquets of flowers and white dresses. It’s the love that’s in their hearts, beating quickly, pumping blood as they run from whatever danger they leave behind them. It’s the love that’s in those primal parts of their brains – survival instincts.

“But we ain’t them.” Daryl reminds Beth.

She smiles. She knows their love for each other is one of the few things that distinguishes them from the dead.

“I love you, Beth.” Daryl says.

He rarely says those words, but he needs her to hear them. He needs her to know that what she means to him is more than rings on their fingers.

“I love you too, Daryl.” Beth says, looking him in the eye.

Daryl Dixon’s not the marriage type, but he makes love to Beth as if it were their honeymoon, consummating the promise they have made to each other.

When she drifts off in his arms, drenched in sunlight in the middle of the quiet field he watches her in awe of her beauty. He still can’t believe his luck. It took the world ending for this beautiful girl to fall in love with the good-for-nothing redneck.

It’s a new kind of love for a new kind of world and Daryl couldn’t be happier with his choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> This may turn into a multi-chapter about Daryl and Beth's life together in the ASZ if I find some more time and inspiration. I'm writing grad school applications until the end of February so it probably won't be until after that.


	2. Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl needs space and Beth is ready to give it to him.

It seemed that with each passing day Daryl grew ever more claustrophobic. It was a feeling he had begun to let go of since the world went to shit and he had to trust people to survive. The prison had been the biggest adjustment for him, especially when they took in the displaced citizens of Woodbury. He got used to the crowded wings of the prison, but maintained his aloof demeanor.

He hit a bit of a relapse after the loss of Beth. When he first arrived at Alexandria, he had no desire to be confined within its walls. He slept on Rick’s porch and refused to shower. Slowly he warmed up to people again with the help of Aaron and Eric.

When Beth miraculously returned, Daryl had to quickly adjust to feeling crowded if he wanted to be near her. There was always a crowd surrounding her bed in the infirmary. When she finally left the infirmary there were plenty of parties to attend. Daryl still didn’t like the crowds, but he attended to please Beth.

Lately it seemed as if everything was closing in on him. The hallways of the house he and Beth shared with Aaron and Eric were too narrow. He swore he could feel Aaron breathing on him at the dinner table. The streets of Alexandria felt too full, as if Daryl was constantly bumping into people despite how cautiously he stepped. He couldn’t even have a smoke in the backyard without several pairs of eyes watching him from the neighboring houses.

He had his escapes though. He went outside the gates with Aaron. They had given up on recruiting more people to the Safe-Zone for now, but they searched for supplies and Daryl had been teaching Aaron to hunt. Their trips had shortened though after Beth arrived in Alexandria. Any more than one night apart from her and Daryl would get agitated.

His only other escape was the bed he shared with Beth. He felt safe in the isolation of their room. When she was there he didn’t have to worry about anyone being too close. She could never be close enough to him.

He begged Beth to stay in bed each morning. He suggested they skip out on their jobs each day. He pleaded for her to have lunch at home with him.

Beth was beginning to grow concerned. It wasn’t like Daryl to do this. Usually she was the one begging for a few more minutes each morning. Daryl hated to worry her so he tried his hardest not to beg her to stay.

Eventually he couldn’t help himself and asked her again.

“Beth, don’t go to work today.” He pleaded, pulling her closer to him.

“Daryl, I love spending the day in bed with you,” Beth replied. “But someone needs to go teach the kids.”

“They don’t need to learn to read.” Daryl reasoned against Beth going to her job. “Ain’t nobody writing books no more.”

Beth rolled her eyes. It wasn’t the first time Daryl had made this argument.

“You’re more than welcome to come in and teach them about tracking or edible plants, or whatever it is you think they should know.” Beth said.

Daryl shook his head. “No way.”

“I know you don’t like kids, but they could learn a lot from you. They all think you’re really cool, Mr. Dixon.” Beth teased.

“It’s not that I don’t like kids, Beth. I just… I don’t want to be around no one right now.” Daryl confessed.

“What do you mean?” Beth asked, sitting up to give Daryl her full attention.

Daryl sat up as well. Part of him wanted to lay his head in Beth’s lap to tell her what was wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to look so weak.

He shrugged. “Dunno. Just feels like everything is too close right now.”

Beth frowned. She knew what he meant without further explanation. She probably knew it better than Daryl did himself. Beth noticed how Daryl reacted to touch and to loud noises long before she ever noticed how attractive he was. Hypervigilant was the only way she could describe it. Sure, it made him a great hunter and saved their asses from walkers more times than she could count, but without a real threat it took a large toll on Daryl.

“Why don’t you go hunting then?” Beth asked. “Aaron’s skills still aren’t up to par.”

Daryl shook his head again. “Just don’t want to be around anyone but you.”

Beth smiled half-heartedly. She loved that he trusted her so much, but she hated that he shut everyone out.

“Daryl, I love you and I wish I could spend every minute of every day with you, but we have things we need to do.” Beth insisted. “We have responsibilities. We have to keep this place going if we want to still have it tomorrow.”

“Let’s run away then!” Daryl suggested. “Jus’ you n’ me. We’ll find ourselves a cabin somewhere. I'll hunt and you can-“

Beth raised her hand to stop him rambling. “Daryl, stop.” She said firmly. “I’m not leaving Alexandria. We have running water and electricity here. More importantly, we have family here. I’m not leaving any of them behind.”

Daryl sighed and sunk back into the pillows.

“Daryl, I’m sorry, I know you’re going through something and you’re trying to open up to me.” Beth said. “I’m happy you’re asking me to help, but I just don’t think this is the healthiest way to deal with it. I have to go to work now. I’ll be back at supper. I love you.”

The days passed and Daryl tried as best he could to deal with his claustrophobia. He spent most of his time alone outside the walls hunting. He felt like he could finally breathe when he was surrounded by nature. At the end of the day the only thing drawing him homeward was Beth.

Daryl sullenly entered the gates of Alexandria just after sundown one evening. Summer had just begun and the air was refreshingly cool. He could smell someone barbequing and hear people all around him talking and laughing. It all felt too close and he wanted to return to Beth as quickly as he could.

Daryl was just rounding the corner onto his street when Rick called out from behind him. He turned around to greet him, but hoped the interaction would be quick.

“Daryl, I’ve been looking for you all day.” Rick said.

“Went huntin’.” Daryl replied with a shrug.

Rick nodded, not so subtly noticing that Daryl had nothing to show for it. “Right, well I wanted to talk to you about the development beyond the west wall.”

“You need help with the security plans?” Daryl asked, ready to help if it got him away from other people.

“Uh, not quite.” Rick replied. “I wanted to tell you that your housing transfer was approved.”

Daryl frowned. “Housing transfer?”

“Yeah, I’ll take you and Beth out tomorrow to look at a couple places.” Rick offered.

Rick’s reply did nothing to lift Daryl’s confusion. He hadn’t applied for a housing transfer. He’d never even considered it.

Daryl excused himself and quickly returned home. He found Beth in the kitchen, cooking dinner with Eric.

“What’s this about a housing transfer?” he asked without so much as greeting her first.

Beth looked up from the pot she was stirring and saw the confusion and anger on Daryl’s face.

“Oh no, Rick wasn’t supposed to tell you yet.” She explained. “I put us on the list for one of the houses in the west expansion.”

“Why?” Daryl demanded.

Beth stopped what she was doing and led him to the garage. When they fought they always did it in the garage for privacy. Beth entered first and Daryl slammed the door behind them.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” he asked.

“I wanted it to be a surprise!” Beth explained. “You’ve been so agitated with everyone lately, I thought it might help to have our own space.”

“And what if I don’t want to move?” Daryl asked.

Beth just shook her head. It was clear to her he was only looking for a fight and she wasn’t going to let him win.

“Why wouldn’t you want to move?” she retorted. “You say everything is too close and there are too many people here. Then why don’t we get our own place and have more space? Do you think we can really live in Aaron and Eric’s guest room forever? What about when we have kids? Are you planning for us to raise them in that room?”

“Is that what this is about?” Daryl yelled. “I’ve told you, I’m not ready to be a father! Stop it!”

Beth rolled her eyes. “That’s not what this is about! I wanted to do this for you! But now that you mention it, you don’t really get a choice in that matter anymore! Not when every condom and every pill in the world is expired by now!”

A single tear rolled down Beth’s cheek. Daryl instinctively let down his guard and stepped toward her. He reached out and wiped the tear away. Beth leaned into him and began to cry.

“Are you?” Daryl asked.

“No.” Beth said. “I’m just tired of fighting. I’m tired of seeing you hurt.”

Daryl rubbed her back. “I’m not hurt, Beth.” He said.

“But you are!” Beth choked out. “Whatever is going on with you, it’s hurting you and it’s hurting us. I just want to make you feel better, but nothing works.”

Daryl felt guilty. He knew his mood had been affecting Beth. He tried to hide it from her and make her believe she had fixed it, that everything was fine. There was so much wrong with him that he didn’t know where to begin, but he hated that it hurt Beth.

“We’ll move.” He conceded. “I’m sorry, Beth.”

“I don’t even care if we move,” Beth said, her tears beginning to cease. “I just want to help you. I want you to _let me_ help you.”

Daryl kissed the top of her head. “We’ll try it.” He said.

Daryl wondered what he ever did to deserve a girl like Beth. No one had ever cared about him the way she did and after all these years he still was not used to it. He tried so hard to show her how much he loved her and appreciated her.

They skipped dinner that night and went straight to bed from the garage. Despite the lingering sadness, Daryl made sure Beth knew just how much he loved her. He loved her until she was sore and he was certain they would be late to see their new house in the morning.

The next morning Daryl felt different. As he and Beth stepped out of Aaron and Eric’s front door it felt as if a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

Beth gasped when she saw the house. Daryl held her hand a little tighter, unsure if it was fear or excitement that Beth was feeling. From the outside, the house looked like a miniature version of the Greene farm with its white siding and wraparound deck. Rick handed Daryl the keys and left them at the door.

“You ready?” Daryl asked Beth.

Beth nodded and reached out to open the door. Daryl stopped her before she could turn the doorknob.

“Hold on,” he said. “Gotta do this right.”

Beth looked at Daryl curiously before he picked her up bridal-style and carried her through the door. She laughed as he set her down and kissed him on the cheek.

Daryl followed Beth cautiously as she explored their new home. The large houses of Alexandria overwhelmed him. He couldn’t imagine what life would have been like had he grown up in one of those houses. They were extravagant compared to the single-wide he had shared with Merle and their father. Daryl hated the kinds of people who lived in houses like that, flaunting their wealth and acting better than everyone else.

He felt out of place as Beth led him through the kitchen and living room then upstairs to the bedrooms. There were so many rooms he didn’t know what they would do with them. Beth called one a “study”, but Daryl wasn’t sure what it was they were supposed to study for in there. She laughed when he asked her what made the bathroom on the first floor a “half-bath”.

“Do you like it?” Daryl asked when they had finally seen every room.

“I love it.” Beth replied. Daryl could see she was already thinking of plans for each room. “What about you?”

Daryl shrugged. “S’alright I guess. As long as you’re happy and safe, I don’t care where we live.”

Beth smiled. She took Daryl by the hand and led him down the stairs and out the back door.

“Look.” Beth said as they stood hand in hand on the deck.

Daryl scanned the backyard. “What am I looking at?” he asked.

“Well, it’s more what you’re not looking at.” Beth elaborated.

Daryl suddenly understood. From their backyard he could hardly see and of the neighbouring houses. He hadn’t noticed on the way in how far apart they were spaced. The pine trees surrounding the yard helped to add some more privacy as well.

“C’mere.” He said, pulling Beth closer.

She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips. He returned the kiss roughly, his beard scratching her face. He wanted more of her.

“Why don’t we go break in that bed?” Beth proposed.

Daryl grinned and carried Beth with her legs wrapped around his waist to their new bedroom.

He didn’t know if he could ever shake his distrust or other people, but he knew he trusted Beth. She understood parts of him he couldn’t understand himself. She was there to fight every demon alongside him. Things were tough now, but with her they would get better. When the world got to be too much, he had her and that was all he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I got one of my post-grad applications done so I figured I'd post another chapter for you. This one has a different feel from the last, but I think the future ones will get back to that kind of tone. Yes, I said future chapters cuz I have some planned. 2 at least, maybe more.


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